Book Girl
by yesfangirlingismylife
Summary: A girl who likes reading. A boy who is brave. Two groups of friends who are an unlikely match. A day well-spent at the beach. Who knew such a spontaneous relationship could combust? (Three-shot)
1. Chapter 1

**Book Girl**

 _Hi! This is just a little three-part story that I had the idea of writing. The next chapter will be up the next day, and the third the day after that. Hope you enjoy! (Warning: slightly cliché)_

* * *

 **Part One**

* * *

The guys convinced me to come out here. They knew I didn't want to, but somehow they persuaded me. So, here I stand, sand between my toes and ocean breeze blowing. We just got out of Zeke's Jeep, which is extremely convenient for going to the beach on nice days like this.

There wasn't a single cloud in the sky and the sun was shining bright. My mood seemed to brighten once I stepped out of the Jeep though. I put on my Ray-Ban sunglasses and start walking with the rest of the guys.

Being the college boys we are, in front of me Uriah and Zeke carry a large cooler full of beer, sandwiches, and food. We all are on break from college since it's summer, but we all live in the area in which we attend college. My group of friends consists of Uriah, Zeke, Will, and myself. Even throughout high school. The reason we all became friends was primarily because we all lived in the same neighborhood as kids. We'd always migrate to Zeke's house and play basketball in his driveway. And here we are, still the best of buds.

Being that we all grew up in Cali, we play volleyball. We aren't bad, but we aren't exactly amazing. Nobody ever said anything about being amazing.

We set up our towels and chairs in a free area near the shore, but not too far from the nets.

We also happen to be near a group of four girls that seem to be about our age. I seem to be the only one that's noticed our proximity to them, but I know they'll notice soon enough.

I notice one girl, though. The quiet one. The other three girls seem to be talking, but the girl I've taken notice to is lying on her stomach on a towel, reading, earbuds in. Her long, blond locks cascade over her shoulder, not blocking her tan or her book.

I can practically hear her music from here, and that was enough to make me curious. She seems to be making faces at the book. Shock, disgust, and sadness. She looks like she's quite invested in this book. I haven't caught the title yet though.

"Hey, man, you all right? You need some eyedrops?" Zeke asks me.

My head snaps in his direction. "Hm?"

"I asked if you were all right. I was afraid your eyes would dry out if you stared at that girl any longer," he teases.

The guys laugh at this, but I simply punch Zeke in the arm.

"Which one were you staring at, anyway?" Will asks.

"The tall one talking like a mad woman?" Uriah asks.

"Or the one nodding along?" Zeke asks.

"Probably the one drinking the margarita," Will says.

I shake my head. "The one reading."

They all raise their eyebrows, the burst out laughing.

"What?" I ask. "What's so wrong with that?"

Zeke composes himself and says, "Really, man? The quiet one? You've never liked the shy type."

"If she's reading that mean she's smart, unlike the other bimbos I've dated throughout my years. And she's into music. You know I love music. And, God, have you looked at her? She's beautiful."

The guys laugh again.

"What's wrong with you, bro?" Uriah asks.

I chuckle. "You guys get on my case for not dating a girl an entire year, but now that I check out a girl you all grill me for it?" I ask. "Not cool."

"We aren't _grilling_ you, we're just surprised, okay?" Will says.

"Yeah, I mean, you've always liked the super-hot ones, y'know?" Zeke asks.

"Have you _looked_ at her? She _is_ super-hot."

Uriah shrugs, indifferent. "Yeah, she is. But not as hot as the only one with a ponytail."

Will shakes his head. "Nope. I like the tall one blabbering her head off."

"Sorry, guys, but the one drinking the margarita is the best."

"I'm not seeing the conflict here," I say, chuckling. "We all like different girls. Zeke gets Margarita Girl, Will gets Blabber Girl, Uri gets Ponytail Girl, and I get Book Girl. Conflict avoided."

"I say we go and invite them to play volleyball with us," Uriah suggests.

"No," Zeke says, "not yet. Keep 'em waiting." He wears a smirk.

I nod along. "I agree."

"All right. So, say, an hour?"

"Evil geniuses, we are," I say, grabbing a beer.

"I'll drink to that," Will says. "Cheers." He raises his can in the air, and we all clink them together.

About twenty minutes later, Zeke and I are throwing the football back and forth in the water.

"So," he says, "the blond? You really like her?"

I nod. "Not just because she's hot. I mean, she just has this likability when you see her. It's like you can't _not_ be attracted to her."

Zeke shakes his head. "Who are you and _what_ have you done with my best friend? Cause I know you definitely aren't Tobias."

I roll my eyes at him and glance over to where Book Girl sits. I catch her looking in my direction, but I can't completely tell since she's wearing sunglasses. But as soon as I looked over there, she looked back down at her book.

"Dude, she was totally checking you out!" Zeke says with a slap on the arm. Much like a girl.

"Shut up," I mumble, then begin to get out of the water.

I spot the girl laying down on her back now, holding the book in front of her face. Possibly covering her embarrassment?

Flawless, she is. Her bikini doesn't reveal too much. There are no straps along her chest; just wraps around her breasts. And the bottoms fit her lower half perfectly.

I almost feel guilty for checking her out, but… damn, it was hard not to. I cannot find a single flaw on her. She's practically perfect.

"That hour up yet?" I ask anxiously.

"No, but I think we should just go over now. What do you think, Zeke?" Uriah asks his brother.

"Let's go. Lead the way, Eaton," Zeke says with a smirk.

I pick up the volleyball, smile on my face, and walk over there with guys in tow.

"Ladies," I say.

The girl—Book Girl—takes out her earbuds, sits up, and puts the bookmark in her book.

"Would you like to join us in a game volleyball?" I ask.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part Two**

* * *

 _"Ladies," I say._

 _The girl—Book Girl—takes out her earbuds, sits up, and puts the bookmark in her book._

 _"Would you like to join us in a game volleyball?" I ask._

Book Girl smiles. "I'm down," she says. She stands up. "You guys?" she asks, looking toward her friends.

They nod.

I look down at the book she seems to've been reading.

" _The Book Thief_?" I ask with a smile.

She almost seems to blush. She lifts her sunglasses and lies them on her head.

This girl is more beautiful than I thought. Striking blue eyes. And she wears _zero_ makeup. She doesn't need any, though. She's beautiful just like this.

"Yeah," she responds. "It's, like, the third time I've read it. You read it before?" she asks as we begin the walk over to the nets.

I notice Zeke, Uriah, and Will, all move onto their picks.

"Yes, I have, actually. Great book. One of my favorites. Read it twice. It's pretty hard to comprehend the first time, you know?"

She nods. "Yeah. It's a very perplexing book. The beginning is the best part."

"Agreed," I say, a wide smile on my face. "I'm Tobias, by the way."

"Tris," she responded, a growing grin on her face. "Just so you know, we all play volleyball for Stanford, so it might get pretty intense," she warned.

I raise my eyebrows. "Impossible."

She raises an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Because _we_ go to Stanford."

She laughs. "No way."

"Surely I'd have seen a hottie like you around the campus," I say with a wicked, shit-eating grin.

"Right back at you," she says, just as we arrive at the nets.

We guys face the girls at the net, and they stand across from us.

"You know they go to Stanford?" Tris tells them.

"No way!" they all say at the same time. Excluding Tris, of course.

"You guys too?" Zeke asks, pretty happy with this fact.

They nod.

"Well, they play for the volleyball team there, so we'll probably get our asses handed to us," I say, laughing.

"Probably," Tris says, then winks at me in particular.

She may be a quiet book girl, but she sure isn't afraid to put herself out there, that's for damn sure.

"I'm Christina, by the way," Blabber Girl says. So _Christina_ is her name.

"I'm Marlene." Ponytail Girl.

"Shauna." Margarita Girl.

"Tris." And Book Girl.

And we guys go on to say our names.

"Best of luck, guys," Christina says, "'cause we might smash your heads in." Then she winks at Will.

We split and huddle on our sides of the sandy court.

"Okay, guys, remember when I dated Jessica Putnam?" Zeke asks.

We all chuckle, but nod.

"Well she plays volleyball, and she told me all volleyball girls practically _worshipped_ male volleyball players. We _have_ to do really well. I know we won't win, but we've got to prove we aren't too bad. Got it?" Zeke asks adamantly.

"Got it," we all repeat.

"Break on three?" I ask.

They nod.

"One! Three!" I yell.

"Break!" we shout in unison.

We only do "One, Three" because one time during football practice in high school, I was leading the break, and I forgot two, like the idiot I am.

"You forgot two, you geniuses!" Shauna yells.

"No we didn't," Zeke yells.

"Rock, paper, scissors for serve?" Tris asks.

"I'll go," I tell the guys.

Tris and I meet at the net.

"Best two out of three?" she asks.

"You're on."

She wins.

I win.

She wins.

"Dammit," I mumble.

"G'luck, um—what's your last name?" she asks, silly smile on her face.

"Eaton. Tobias Eaton."

"G'luck, Eaton," she said. She took the ball then winked at me.

And then she tossed the ball up and hit it.

* * *

"You know, I'm not at all surprised that we lost," I tell Tris as we sit next to each other on the sand. We just finished the game, and we decided to cool off a little. We sit on the wet sand and the waves would brush up against our feet when they roll in.

She shrugs. "We've been playing our whole lives. But you guys definitely aren't bad."

"Your passes were amazing though. Straight to the setter. Honestly. Amazing."

"Well I'm libero for the team, so I'd hope my passes are pretty good," she chuckles.

"No way. You're libero?" I ask.

"Yeah. You know. Usually the shortest one. Different colored jersey. Leader of the back row," she laughs.

"Yeah, yeah, I know all that. But libero is a hard position to get."

She shrugs. "I'm used to working for things in life."

"Well, that and you _are_ pretty short," I tease. I lean over and nudge her with my shoulder.

"I know, I know. I've been getting crap my whole life about how short I am," she chuckles.

"Your shortness works for you. It's cute," I tell her.

"Tobias Eaton," she gasps, full of fake shock, "are you flirting with me?"

I laugh. "I don't know, those winks from you earlier seemed as if _you_ were flirting with me."

She smiles. "I wink at everyone."

"Ah," I say, "likely."

She raises an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Oh, I thought were saying false things," I say, then wink at her.

"I know I just met you two hours ago, but it feels like we've been best friends for, like, ever," she laughs.

I smile. "Don't friendzone me," I tell her. "Don't do that."

"Wasn't planning on it."


	3. Chapter 3

**Part Three**

* * *

 _Some of you are probably wondering when my next story will be up, and the answer to that is the 28th of August. It's eight chapters long. Hope you enjoy the last installment of "Book Girl"._

* * *

"Goddammit, Zeke," I tell them, "I can't believe I forgot to ask for her number. I'm such an idiot!"

"Hey, man," he says, "we all were too distracted to ask for their numbers. Now _none_ of us have _any_ of their numbers."

I shake my head. "No, I have to do it myself. Maybe they'll be there today."

"Man, the odds of that are too slim. We'll probably never see them again," Uriah sighs.

"Oh, come on," Zeke says. "They play for the volleyball team. We could see them during school. Track them down somehow."

It's been a week. An entire week since I've seen Tris or this beach. The main reason we decided to return the following Saturday was that we thought there'd maybe there was a chance of seeing them again.

I really, really hope they're there. I've been thinking about her all week; she just won't get out of my head. I haven't been able to ignore her, either. I've tried. A connection like ours is something you can't ignore. We stayed until eleven o'clock that night just talking. The guys had to practically drag me away from her.

And out of those ten hours I saw her, 600 minutes, 36,000 seconds, I didn't ask for her number.

Idiot.

Yes, an idiot I am.

We get there at three o'clock, and there they sit.

Tris looks beautiful in her swimsuit while she reads and listens to music.

"Guys, guys, set the cooler down for a sec," I tell them. They do so.

I grab a handful of ice and run over to where Tris lays, and then I set them on her back.

Then a shriek.

"What the fuck?!" she yells and jumps.

When she see it's me, she starts laughing.

"You little shit!" she yells.

I run away, toward the ice cream shop, and she sprints after me.

"Eaton, you little…," I hear her mumble.

We reach the ice cream shop, and say, "Can I get you anything?"

She playfully glares. "I… You… Ugh."

I open my arms. "Does someone need a hug?"

She pokes my abs. "I bet you give the worst hugs ever."

"Wanna find out?" I ask suggestively, opening my arms again.

She smiles, and pushes me away, but I take the opportunity to pull her in and hug her.

"Tobias!" she yells with a laugh.

"Yes?" I ask her, as if I didn't know I was bothering her.

"Could you maybe let me go?"

I shake my head. "No."

She sighs and hugs me. She lays her cheek on my bare chest since I'm in swimming trucks and wraps her arms around my waist.

"Happy?" she asks me.

"Nope. Maybe just a little longer," I say as I laugh.

She laughs.

"Good hugs or bad hugs?" I ask.

I feel her laugh against me. "Good. Definitely good."

I release her. "Okay. Good enough. For now. Ice cream?"

She shrugs. "Sure. I'll just have a vanilla cone."

"Really? You're boring," I tease her.

She sticks her tongue out at me, and I do it back to her.

"One chocolate, one vanilla, please," I say when it's our turn to order.

I pay for the cones, and we go and meet out friends out on the sand.

It seems the guys have set up right next to the girls.

Not that I'm complaining.

"Thanks for the cone by the way," Tris says.

We sit down on our towels. Mine is across from hers. The guys on one side, the girls on the other.

Tris and I meet in the middle; she lays on her stomach and I on mine.

"So, Prior, I was thinking about you this week."

A little heat rushed to her face.

"What? No cocky remark?" I ask, mock-surprised.

She looks down, blushing even more. "Shut up," she mumbles.

"Anyway, I was thinking about you this week and I realized: I do not have your number. Which really sucks. Cause, y'know, I'd actually like to see again at some point. And somewhere that's not on a beach."

She smiles. "Tobias Eaton. Are you asking me out on a date and for my phone number in the same sentence?"

I smirk. "Would you be opposed to either of those things?"

She shakes her head. "No. I don't think I would."

I grin like a madman as I finish my ice cream cone.

"I have a question for you," she tells me.

"Shoot."

"What's the tattoo on your back about?"

"What's the tattoo behind your ear?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she chuckles.

"Well I only saw a glimpse of of it last week. I forgot to ask." I shrug.

She pulls her hair back into a simple but very—and I mean _very_ —sexy bun. "Music notes," she tells me. "Small but simple. Shows my love for music."

"I like it. A lot, actually. So I know you want to be a teacher, but what do you want to teach? Music?"

"No, not music. It's going to sound stupid."

"Oh, c'mon, Prior."

She sighs, but smiles a little. "I want to be an english teacher. But mainly a writer. Teaching is a backup plan. I love it, but writing is my true passion. I, uh… I'm actually in the midst of writing a book right now."

"No way," I say.

She smiles. "I know, I know, it's dorky, but—"

"No, Tris, that's amazing. Really. I hope that dream comes true for you." I throw a sincere smile.

She looks down, smiling, picking at a string on her towel. "How is it that you're so nice and so absolutely handsome at the same time? And _single_? Oh, no,"—she looks up at me—"I bet you have a girlfriend."

I laugh. "No, no girlfriend. Maybe soon."

She smiles. "Are you sure? I mean honestly. How are you single?"

"I've been single for about a year."

Tris's eyes about popped out of her head. _"What?"_

I nod. "I guess I've just been looking for… I don't know. A girl that isn't like other girl. And when you are sitting there blasting your music as you read that book… It's like you were a magnet."

She smiles, most likely at the choice of my words. "C'mon, let's go do something," she says as stands up. "Anywhere. Out of here."

I smile and stand on my feet. "Whatever you say, Book Girl."


End file.
